Name tag with your Puppy's Name & Your contact information
Water Bowl
Slow feeder food Bowl
Bag of Puppy Food
Snuggle puppy(highly recommend!)
Your puppy’s stomach could get upset from a change of environment and the excitement. We recommend having Canned pumpkin, Plain greek yogurt, Bernie's perfect poop or Purina fortiflora on hand in the case of an upset stomach.
Puppy pads for Travel. We will send your puppy home with a few puppy pads in their puppy pack but we do recommend having extra just in case! We do not feed our puppies just before traveling, as this can cause an upset stomach. The puppy will have access to water. Please be sure to give your puppy food & water when you get home!
Optional: Medium Pet Carrier for traveling. Your puppy will be around 10-15 pounds at 8 weeks.
Interactive Food Puzzle Toys
A Snuffle Mat
Chew toys.
Toys. We recommend fluff free/tough toys.
Poop Scoop
Nail trimmers. We to use the Dremel Cordless dog nail grinder. Be cautious when using and try to use it on the low setting as it is very strong.
Crate. An XXL 48 in. crate with a divider that your puppy can grow into is perfect for keeping your puppy safe and helps with potty training. We've found that having a grate on the bottom crate pan is super helpful when potty training.
Large Dog Bed
Baby gate and/or Exercise pen
Slicker brush
Dog Toothbrush & Enzymatic Toothpaste, optional: water additive(VOHC approved recommended)
Grooming wipes
Ear cleaning liquid & Cotton round pads
Puppy or Tearless Baby shampoo
High Value Training treats. We like to use freeze dried liver from Stewart’s.
Training Treat pouch & a Clicker
Enzymatic cleaner for accidents(we like Angry Orange)
Carpet cleaner and solution(if you have carpet)
For females, Dog diapers for their heats. Their first heat usually starts around 8mo-1 1/2 years (usually Large size)
Optional: Male wrap diapers.
Optional: 2 Snap’y fit Stainless Steel water/food bowls for your puppy’s crate (20 oz or 1 quart)
Health: Our puppies are dewormed at 2 weeks(Pyrantel), 4 weeks(Pyrantel), 6 weeks(Fenbendazole) and 8 weeks old(Fenbendazole). Pyrantel is used to remove stomach worm parasites. Fenbendazole is given to remove stomach worm parasites and to treat and prevent Giardia. We also treat our puppies with Toltrazuril at 4 1/2 weeks old which is used to prevent and treat Coccidia. Our puppies receive a parvo specific vaccination at 4-5 weeks old and their first DHPP vaccination at 7-7.5 weeks old. Our puppies are fecal tested and examined by a licensed veterinarian before they leave our home. The Fecal test should show normal/negative results however if it does not then the litter will be treated prior to going home. Your puppy will NOT be fully vaccinated when they go home, they will need 2-3 more booster vaccinations with the last being at 16 weeks old. Please see the vaccination schedule below for more information! Your puppy will need to be treated for parasites every few months or when there is a positive fecal test. Puppies pick up parasites from the ground very easily since their immune system isn’t strong yet. Symptoms of parasites include: butt scooting, rounded belly, excess hunger, lack of hunger, diarrhea, worms in stool, gas, dry dull coat and stomach pain. Parasites are found on the ground especially in dirt so we recommend not to let your puppy eat things off of the ground outside or eat dirt. Parasites can also be passed to your puppy from another dog that has them including by just sharing water. Please be cautious when letting your non fully vaccinated puppy into your yard as it’s not uncommon for neighborhood cats to track parasites and diseases into your yard with their paws. Our puppies do not have fleas however our vet may send our puppies home with Flea/Tick and Heartworm preventative as a starter pack(depending on availability). We recommend for you to keep your puppy on flea/tick preventative if you live in an area where there is a lot of wildlife or pets. If your puppy is not on flea/tick preventative, they may develop tapeworms from the fleas and Lyme disease from ticks. Please make sure to keep all 4 paws off of the floor in public or unknown spaces to keep your puppy safe from contracting a deadly illness.
Training & Socialization: We recommend our new puppy owners to start on training a few days after they bring their new puppy home as this allows the puppy to settle and get used to their new life with you. We also recommend Online classes with Bella & Baxter for training at home or finding a local trainer that offers group puppy class sessions to help socialize and learn how to build a solid relationship with the puppy.
Training treats and chews: It's no surprise that a puppy needs training to set the foundation of how you expect them to behave and if you want to teach them fun tricks! Training a puppy requires lots of treats, correct timing and consistency. When using a lot of treats it can cause stomach problems like diarrhea, sometimes it can be due to the ingredients or just the high volume in itself. To avoid any stomach issues when training our puppies, we typically like to train our puppies using the kibble from their meals. On our adult dogs or puppies with low stomach sensitivity, we use high value treats like chicken, beef, chicken/beef hot dog, or freeze dried liver(petsmart). When puppies are teething we like to give our puppies Ice to chew on as a “treat”, it helps soothe their sore gums. For chewing. we like to provide Bully/Pizzle sticks, Raw bones(non weight bearing), Yak Cheese Chews, Benebones, Nylabones, Fish skin chews, Greenies and Whimzeez. Benebones and Nylabones must be replaced when they becomes worn(every few weeks to a month), as the chew itself is non-edible and pieces of the chew can be swallowed by your dog. We do not recommend giving your dog cooked bones, antlers or rawhide.
Puppy Food: We recommend Purina Pro Plan, Purina One, Eukanuba, Victor Elite. Orijen or a balanced Raw diet for Dog Food. We recommend for you to feed your dog a large breed diet(for development) specific to their age(adult or puppy) OR an All stage dog food that contains DHA/Omega 3's and Glucosamine. DHA is great for brain development, healthy coat and skin. Glucosamine is awesome for your dog's joints and especially important for a growing puppy or older dog. If the food that you are feeding does not have this we recommend to supplement. You should only feed your Golden Retriever kibble that contains Grains as Grain-Free dog food has been linked to Heart Disease(DCM) in Golden Retrievers. We will send your puppy home with a small bag of the food that they were raised on, please make sure that you use the same food that we are using when you take your puppy home. An upset stomach caused by a sudden diet change can can lead to severe diarrhea and dehydration. Any changes to the puppy's diet such as a brand change must be gradual, please see the transition schedule for reference.
Safe Human Foods snacks: We like to give our dogs fresh healthy snacks in moderation. Just make sure that when you are feeding your dog vegetables or fruits; you must remove & dispose of all seeds, peels, rinds and leafs/stems before giving it to your dog as they are toxic. The pits or seeds of fruit are a choking hazard, they contain cyanide poison and disrupt your dogs blood oxygen levels. Canned fruits contain too much sugar, we do not recommend feeding this to your dog. Most RAW bones are okay but you must check before giving them to your dog. Please DO NOT feed your dog ANY kind of cooked bones; they splinter and break which can cause a very serious bowel obstruction requiring surgery or in some cases death. Please keep in mind that we are NOT veterinarians and we do what we’ve learned works best for us and our dogs!
Chicken meat(NO cooked BONES)
Turkey Meat(NO cooked BONES)
Beef Meat(NO cooked BONES)
Salmon Meat & Oil(NO BONES)
Shrimp
Lamb Meat(NO cooked BONES)
Duck Meat(No cooked BONES)
Tuna(small amounts, Not canned)
ICE(great for teething pups)
Sardines
Olive oil
Cottage Cheese
Goats Milk
Plain greek yogurt
Whipped Cream(small amounts)
Cheese(small amounts)
Peanut butter(small amounts)
Honey
Coconut(including Milk & Oil)
Popcorn
Eggs
Oranges/Clementines/Tangerines(NO peels)
Pineapple(NO leafs,stems,core or skin)
Blueberries
Apples(NO seeds or core)
Watermelon(NO rind, NO seeds)
Peaches(NO PIT)
Strawberries
Raspberries
Mango(NO seed)
Cantaloupe(NO seeds)
Carrots
Zucchini
Cucumbers
Sweet mini peppers
Bananas (NO peel)
Snap peas
Lettuce
Celery
Pumpkin(canned & fresh)
Cherry tomatoes(small amounts, NO leafs or stems)
Flea & Tick Preventatives: We consider many options when it comes to repelling and killing fleas/ticks. We preferably use Bravecto 3month chewable(6mo+), Nexgard monthly chewable(8w+) or Frontline monthly topical spray(8w+) on our adult dogs and older puppies. We DO NOT recommend ANY flea/tick collars. In our experience, dogs like to play and mouth each other’s necks which can cause them to ingest the poison on the collars leading to possible neurological issues. For a natural alternative.. we also sometimes like to bathe our dogs/puppies in Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Pure Castile Liquid Soap, this helps to kill and repel any fleas or ticks but needs to be diluted with lots of water before use. We DO NOT recommend Hartz or Serresto dog flea/tick medication, collars, shampoos or conditioners due to research and first-hand experience. Please keep in mind that we are NOT veterinarians and we do what we’ve learned works best for us and our dogs!